10 of America's best drive-thru liquor stores

Ingeniously located at the intersection of "I want a drink" and "I don’t want to put on pants", the drive-thru liquor store may very well be the pinnacle of American convenience.

Yes, they do exist, in all their contradictory glory. Yes, they are legal, at least in some towns and counties. And, yes, nothing beats the ability to buy a keg of Red Dog without actually getting out of your Neon.

With that in mind, here are 10 drive-thru packies worth a detour on your next road trip.

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Best for that real convenient store feel

Alta Dena Drive-In DairySan Diego, CA The best part about this drive-thru? It's actually a drive-through -- as in, you drive INSIDE THE STORE, right up to the cash register. Plus, in addition to alcohol, they sell all your basics – from milk and ice cream, to chips and condoms.

Best for... winning awards? Henry’s LiquorsPhoenix, AZ Voted "Best Drive-Thru Liquor Store" by the Phoenix New Times, this no-frills oldie is a definite goodie, and has been family run for over a decade.

Best for babes

Beer To Go Drive Thru Beer BarnDallas, TX As if booze delivered right to your car isn't enough, at BTGDTBB, it's handed to you by women wearing bikinis and sexy costumes. And if women in bikinis and sexy costumes still isn't enough, they also serve daiquiris and margaritas to-go.

Best hybrid O'Neill's Pub and LiquorSuperior, WI This cozy Irish pub with a fireplace and leather chairs features a walk-in beer cave, a jukebox, and a handy on-site liquor drive-thru, you know, in case you're too busy to come in for a pint to say hi.

Best for kegs

Hoboken Beer and Soda OutletHoboken, NJ In addition to a solid selection of craft suds, this place also peddles an inordinate array of kegs (from Hofbräu München Oktoberfestbier, to Sapporo, to Peroni), all which they'll dump straight into your trunk.

Best for brown boozeLiquor WorldBardstown, KY Located on the Bourbon Trail and in the “Bourbon Capital of the World”, it’s no surprise that this un-imaginatively named drive-thru sells an insane selection of... local vodka!!! Just kidding. Bourbons and ryes, of course. They even offer custom single-barrel bottles, hand-selected by the knowledgeable owner.

Best for keepin' it classy

W Grill to GoHouston, TX Six margarita flavors, piña coladas, beer and wine to go, and pants are optional. How is this not in Florida?

Best for daiquiris Cajun DaiquirisShreveport, LA Louisiana is famous for its drive-thru daiquiri shops but this joint is a must-hit, local fave. In addition to featuring two happy hours a day (one conveniently during lunchtime), they also pour naughty-named drinks like the Freak-N-U, Pimp Juice, and Shake the Haters Off. Customers in the know, however, roll with the off-menu concoctions named for Michelle and Barack Obama.

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Best double duty

Double Shot Liquor and GunsSchulenburg, TX Liquor and guns! Liquor and guns. Now if that’s not American, we don’t know what is. Somehow, this place is now closed, but we felt it warranted a mention.

Best for late-night

Big Daddy’s Liquor Store & Carry OutNewport, KY The after-party friendly Big Daddy’s stays open until 2.30am (later than any of the bars in the area), and it's not uncommon to see taxis snaking around the block after the bars throw everybody out.

Sophie-Claire Hoeller is Thrillist's associate travel editor, and used a drive-thru liquor store once, in Australia, to fill the trunk with VB. Follow her @Sohostyle

The Year’s Best Meteor Shower Is Tonight. Here Are 6 Easy Tips for Photographing It.

A spectacular meteor shower is about to arrive. The Perseids will peak the night of August 12, though you should be able to catch the show any night over the weekend. At its peak, it'll fire off around a meteor per minute overhead. With a new moon arriving on August 11, and the potential for gorgeous summer weather, it should be a perfect night for stargazing.

While you sit under the Perseids' bright fireballs, you may be tempted to snap a picture of a shooting star. It can be tricky. So, here are some tips from NASA about how you can grab that perfect shot on a DSLR or mirrorless camera that will be the envy of all your Instagram followers (though, the a NASA post on Tumblr also notes that these are useful tips for some point and shoot cameras as well).

Get away from city lights. Having a dark sky will not only improve your viewing experience, but will vastly improve your photos. They also recommend turning down the light on your LCD screen to help keep your eyes adjusted to the dark. Any light from a phone or other device can make it difficult to see some of the fainter meteors.

Long exposures are the best way to capture a meteor. You won't be able to hold your hands still long enough to make the photo work, so use a tripod. In the absence of a tripod, try putting your camera on something and securing it.

A wide-angle lens can make a big difference. It's the same reason it's best to lean back and take in as much of the sky as possible when you're stargazing with the naked eye. The larger your field of vision, the better your chances of seeing a streaking meteor.

Other tips include using your camera's timer so you don't shake it when you press the shutter button, manually focus your camera since autofocus can struggle to find what it's aiming at, point your camera at the radiant (the constellation Perseus in this instance), and calculate your exposure time.

This last one is a great tip. As the Earth spins, the stars will appear to move in your picture if the exposure is too long. To avoid star trails in your image, NASA recommends you "follow the 500 Rule." Here it is: "Take 500 and divide it by the length in millimeters of your lens. The resulting number is the length of time in seconds that you can keep your shutter open before seeing star trails. For example, if you’re using a 20mm lens, 25 seconds (500 divided by 20) is the longest you can set your exposure time before star trails start to show up in your images."

Moreover, like NASA photographer Bill Ingalls advised when photographing a lunar eclipse, it can be helpful to get something in the foreground. It's not necessary, but even getting a dark silhouette can give your picture that something extra.

Also helpful: coffee and a snack. You want to be out after midnight and the best time is going to be around 2am local time. So, coffee and a snack.

Inside North Nashville’s Thriving Arts District

Thrillist and Chase Sapphire® are working together to create “Tastes Worth Traveling For,” a content series pointing savvy urban explorers to the best places to eat, drink, and have a good time. And after you've taken in all that North Nashville's art scene has to offer, check out Sapphire On Location for inspiration on where to explore next.

A walk down Buchanan Street, which cuts through the center of North Nashville, brings you past hot new pizza joint Slim & Husky’s, street bikers, luxury leather goods stores, a skateboard shop, a Southern-style vegan restaurant, and a buzzy art gallery. Cut north up to Clarksville Pike, and you’ll pass two huge murals and a car wash that serves Caribbean food.

It’s safe to say we’re not among the neon lights, honky tonks, and rooftop patios of Broadway anymore.

Loosely defined as the area above Jefferson Street bounded by the Cumberland River to the north and east, North Nashville represents both the city’s cultural past -- and a growing presence of new gallery owners, muralists, and other artists that demands attention. While its crisp new business-fronts are easily recognizable, the less obvious information, North Nashville’s history, is the area’s true gift to visitors of Music City.

And for that, it’s best to go to the source. While exploring the neighborhood’s galleries, murals, and design shops, ask a question about its olden days, and you’ll be sent to Ed’s Fish House (open since 1972). For queries about Buchanan Street's evolution, you may get directed to Bud’s Hardware & Key Shop (est. 1953). But until you can make it down (or up, or over) to North Nashville, here’s what else you should know to get the most out of a visit to this dynamic art scene.

Given all the talk about how chill vape pens are, big clouds of vaporous smoke aren't chill at all when they're spewing from a bag in an airport security checkpoint. Unlike other conspicuous items like makeup bags and sex toys, vape pens can and will explode on occasion, so it's best to travel with a trusted brand that won't cause a security breach. Nonetheless, a man traveling through Georgia's Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport learned this lesson when his vape battery randomly started hissing plumes of smoke at a TSA checkpoint.

Luckily, TSA Officer Darrell Wade was quick to pounce on the bag and carry it to safety for examination, despite not knowing what was causing the smoke. Strangely, not many of the by standers saw much of a reason to panic, as they all just kind of stare at the bag in a state of confusion, as if to say "am I really going to die right now?"

In the end, the culprit was none other than a vape battery, an instrument so simultaneously cool yet deadly that it might rival Samsung's exploding cell phones. Wade saved the day, acting cool under pressure, although it wouldn't do his heroism justice without an advisory: according to the TSA's policy the "FAA prohibits these devices in checked bags. Battery-powered E-cigarettes, vaporizers, vape pens, atomizers, and electronic nicotine delivery systems may only be carried in the aircraft cabin (in carry-on baggage or on your person)."